A crowd of about 100 Egyptian-Americans from around the Bay Area gathered at San Francisco’s Civic Center Sunday calling for the U.S. to halt billions of dollars in aid to the Egyptian military until violence that skyrocketed last week is stopped.
Clashes between military forces and Egyptians opposed to the army’s ouster of elected president Mohammed Morsi claimed about 900 lives since security forces opened fire on protests in Cairo Aug. 14.
The military is also arresting members of Morsi’s political party, the Muslim Brotherhood. Protesters have attacked police stations and government buildings in retaliation. Violence continued through the weekend as the death toll approached 1,000, with more than 5,000 wounded.
Santa Clara resident Hala Yacout said her brother was shot and killed in Cairo on Wednesday. She said Egypt’s parliament and constitution need to be reinstituted.
“Not because they are good or bad, because they were elected,” Yacout said. “Because that’s the only way to provide safe life in Egypt, to restore democracy.”